Contents

Overview

After Saikhan's appointment as Chief of the Metalbending Police Force, Tarrlok exercises increased control over the city. As Mako, Korra, Bolin, and Asami form the new Team Avatar, they interfere with the councilman's goals, prompting him to retaliate against them.

Synopsis

Mako, Bolin, and Asami arrive at Air Temple Island via the Air Temple Island ferry, where they are greeted by Korra, Ikki, Jinora, and Meelo. Meelo remarks that Asami is beautiful and affectionately asks for some of her hair to which Mako jokingly states that he has competition. As the group heads to the temple, they learn that men and women reside in separate sections.

Meelo and Jinora show Mako and Bolin to their room, while Korra and Ikki show Asami to hers. On the way, Ikki inquires about Asami's knowledge of Korra's liking Mako, much to the Avatar's horror and Asami's surprise. Korra quickly slams the door on Ikki to prevent her from entering the room, evoking a brief fit of rage from the young airbender.

Asami openly admires the room for its charm, adding that there is nothing to remind her of her father. When someone knocks on the door, Korra assumes it is Ikki and yells at her to leave only to grow visibly embarrassed when Tenzin enters. Tenzin greets them and does not take offense from Korra's actions. He informs her that a new police chief will be inducted, an event they should attend.

Korra and Tenzin confront Tarrlok during which the Councilman expresses his excitement and wish for Korra to rejoin his task force with the pro-bending season now over. Korra, however, rejects his request, telling him that Tenzin had been right about him all along and further emphasizes that she does not need his help, since she is the Avatar. Unfazed, Tarrlok denounces her statement, noting that she is merely a "half-baked Avatar in training" who cannot even airbend, asking both rhetorically and mockingly if she has made significant progress with her training. Korra reacts with dejection to these words, believing herself to be a failure. A smug Tarrlok leaves and warns Korra to stay out of his affairs if she does not return to his task force.

As she and Tenzin leave the ceremony on Oogi, Tenzin's sky bison, Korra asks her instructor why she cannot airbend, despite having memorized most of the forms. When he annoys her by telling her that she merely has to work through her block, Tenzin clarifies that Aang not only had his bending teachers but also the guidance of the past Avatars. However, Korra laments that she is a "spiritual failure" as well, as she has never managed to contact her past lives. When Tenzin points out that the connection may have been subtle, Korra admits to having had hallucinations of Aang, which she is advised to meditate on.

After some time to herself, Korra is approached by Mako, Bolin, Asami, and Pabu. The Avatar confesses to her friends that she feels alone and believes herself to be "the worst Avatar ever". They encourage her by reminding her that Aang had not mastered all four elements while he was battling the Fire Nation and that he had the support of his friends. Together, they decide to patrol Republic City with Bolin deeming them the new Team Avatar. Meelo interrupted by jumping down and passing gas on their hands much to their disgust and horror. He enthusiastically agreed with them, although he had no idea what they are doing, making them all laugh. After Naga's refusal to carry all four members, Asami decides to use one of her father's Satomobiles as a means of transportation.

Using police scanners Hiroshi installed on the Satomobile, the team easily locates and captures an escaping group of Equalists. When Tarrlok, his task force, and the police arrive, multiple reporters are already taking photographs of the team and their success. Korra subsequently mocks Tarrlok for his tardiness, prompting the Councilman to warn the Avatar to stay out of his way.

The next day, he proposes a new law prohibiting anyone to join the Equalists and imposing a curfew on all nonbenders. Tenzin opposes the law, arguing that it restricts the rights of the nonbenders. Nevertheless, the rest of the Council votes in support.

After hearing reports of an Equalist threat, Team Avatar arrives on the scene only to discover that the Councilman had cut the power to the Dragon Flats borough, leaving an entire block inhabited by nonbenders without electricity. The pleas of the people for help prompt Korra to discuss the issue with Tarrlok, though she is completely ignored; furthermore, Tarrlok starts arresting the people, claiming they are Equalists. When Korra opposes him, he arrests Asami, Mako, and Bolin. The Avatar lifts two huge slabs of earth and aims at Tarrlok, who threatens to arrest her in response if she does not stop and go back to Air Temple Island. At Mako's plea, Korra reluctantly drops the earth slabs and assures her friends that she will talk to Tenzin and resolve the entire issue.

When Tenzin arrives, he immediately seeks the release of Korra's friends and the innocent nonbenders, saying that they are entitled to due process of law. Chief Saikhan directs him to Tarrlok, explaining that he is the one he would need to address to resolve this issue. Korra denounces Saikhan as the worst Chief of Police ever, a statement affirmed by Tenzin.

That night, Korra rides Naga to City Hall, where she confronts Tarrlok, saying that his actions are exactly what Amon claims is wrong with benders, namely using his power to oppress and intimidate people. Tarrlok retaliates by pointing out that she is doing the same thing by trying to intimidate him to make him release her friends, claiming they are similar in their determination to gain what they want, though Korra instantly refutes the idea. Tarrlok offers to release Korra's friends if she heeds his demands in the future. Korra refuses and declares the councilman to be "just as bad as Amon". Outraged, Tarrlok lashes out at Korra, forcing her back against the wall away from him with his waterbending. To shield herself against the razor sharp icicles, Korra creates a wall of earth and manages to gain the upper hand by earthbending the fountain wall against Tarrlok, pushing him out of the room and down into the main room of City Hall.

With no available water to bend and with Korra preparing to firebend at him, Tarrlok resorts to bloodbending, despite the absence of a full moon, telling a stunned Korra that there are many things she does not know about him. With a swift motion, Tarrlok slams Korra into a building column and towers over her as she starts to black out. Korra subsequently has another vision of Aang, Toph, and Sokka at Yakone's trial, which had been seen in previous visions. When Sokka appears to be incapacitated and in severe pain, Toph attempts to attack Yakone with metalbending cables, but is prevented from doing so. The vision quickly shifts to Aang, with several people behind him being subdued by bloodbending. He reaches his hand out toward Yakone, but struggles in doing so; the vision ends on a close-up of Aang's face.

Tarrlok subsequently ties up Korra and throws her in the back of a truck, telling her that he is taking her somewhere far away from Republic City, where she will never get in his way again. She is barely able to let out a breath of fire before Tarrlok shuts the door and starts driving toward parts unknown.

Character revelations

Saikhan is the new chief of the Metalbending Police Force, having been appointed by his predecessor, Chief Lin Beifong.

Goofs

When Ikki calls Pabu cute, Jinora puts her fingers in her ears due to Ikki's shrill voice. However, her fingers are too high up on her ears to actually block any sound.

Asami's outfit changes when talking to Korra with Mako and Bolin shortly before forming Team Avatar, switching from a jacket with a dress to her driving outfit and changes back to the jacket and dress. This also occurs when she is seen on Naga, wearing the jacket and dress, only for her outfit to revert to her driver's outfit while Team Avatar patrols the city.

On Air Temple Island, right before the members of Team Avatar place their hands together, Bolin is seen with his hand on top, but in the next shot, his hand is at the bottom, switching places with Asami.

When Asami presents her electrified glove to the team, she is wearing her racing uniform. In the next scene, where Team Avatar attempts to ride Naga, Asami is wearing her usual outfit, and when she gets up, she is wearing her racing uniform again. This error also occurs earlier in the episode, when Team Avatar is formed. Before the group unites their hands, Asami is wearing her racing uniform, while in the next shot, she is wearing her usual outfit.

When Team Avatar is listening to the police scanner and eating dumplings, the dumplings in Mako, Korra, and Asami's hands disappear in the next panel.

When Asami hits two chi blockers with the car and knocks them off their bikes, both chi blockers are female. When they land on the car to fight Team Avatar, one is female and the other is male.

When Korra earthbends the wall of Tarrlok's study, the waterfall flow is immediately interrupted at the side when the wall begins to flip. When Tarrlok notices that the wall is flipping, the waterfall flow is not interrupted until it almost hits him.

When Tarrlok states Korra is in his way, just after bloodbending her to the ground, his left arm is outstretched and pointing downward, while his right arm is pulled back and almost parallel to the ground, just a bit downward. In the next panel, his left arm is bent to his right side, across his chest, while his right arm angles upward.

Trivia

This is the first time that a character is seen bleeding in The Legend of Korra, this being when Korra is cut by a few icicles fired by Tarrlok. This is the third time a character has bled in the Avatar franchise.

Tarrlok and Korra's duel at City Hall bears similarities to the encounter between Avatar Roku and Fire Lord Sozin when Roku discovered Sozin's Earth Kingdom colonies in "The Avatar and the Fire Lord". In both cases, the Avatar arrived at a government building to confront a politician from their own nation about their previous actions against a people they held power over. In both cases, the politician struck first.

Korra declines Tarrlok's offer to rejoin his task force by dismissing it as nothing more than a "vanity project". This was the same reason used by Colonel Shinu in "The Blue Spirit", when he refused to supply Zhao with the Yuyan Archers in his quest to find the Avatar.

Tarrlok has a petroglyph depicting Tui and La encircling each other on the stone wall behind the waterfall in his office.